“Bizarre” only begins to describe the strange imagery seen in this new series of commercials as we begin prep for bug season.

One of the most popular male models in Japan right now is Matt Kuwata, the “living doll” model who most recently starred in a (somewhat ironic) commercial with a family of dolls. This time, he’s gaining buzz (no pun intended) for his turn in a series of commercials advertising a liquid insect-repelling device called “Earth No-mat” by the Earth Corporation.

Why Matt was chosen for this particular venture escapes us, but perhaps it has something to do with the pun resulting from his name as the device is also spelled “Earth No-matt” in promotional materials. The wordplay continues as the commercials feature a “Matt-mosquito” (Matt蚊/Matt-ka) and a “Matt-transformation” (Matt化/also Matt-ka) of other supporting characters.

First up is the short introductory commercial in which Matt-the-model demonstrates how he deals with Matt-the-mosquito:

▼ Introductory commercial

That clip is then followed by three slightly longer commercials featuring Matt-the-model relaxing in bed with an open window, Matt-the-child, and Matt-the-dog. The transformations are right up there with other strange Japanese commercials, to put it mildly, and the messages being communicated are that the product still works even if you leave the window open and is still safe even if your household has children or pets.

▼ “Even with the window open” version

▼ “Even with children” version

▼ “Even with pets” version

The commercials also tie into a Twitter promotion. If you follow and retweet applicable “Earth No-mat” tweets on the Earth Corporation’s official Twitter account between May 1-31, you could be entered into a drawing to receive the following sticker set featuring Matt’s eyes and his mosquito form:

Stick the eyes on your Earth No-mat device and you can transform that into Matt as well:

With pest control now added to his resume, who knows which direction Matt will go in for his next commercial–but we’re willing to bet it won’t be anything too close to the ordinary.

Source, images: PR Times
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